Ecclesiastes 7: (YLT)
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1) Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
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2) Better to go unto a house of mourning, Than to go unto a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living layeth [it] unto his heart.
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3) Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becometh better.
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4) The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
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5) Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
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6) For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
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7) Surely oppression maketh the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart.
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8) Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
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9) Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools resteth.
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10) Say not thou, 'What was it, That the former days were better than these?' For thou hast not asked wisely of this.
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11) Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
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12) For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defence, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She reviveth her possessors.
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13) See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
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14) In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of evil consider. Also this over-against that hath God made, To the intent that man doth not find anything after him.
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15) The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrong-doer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
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16) Be not over-righteous, nor show thyself too wise, why art thou desolate?
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17) Do not much wrong, neither be thou a fool, why dost thou die within thy time?
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18) [It is] good that thou dost lay hold on this, and also, from that withdrawest not thy hand, for whoso is fearing God goeth out with them all.
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19) The wisdom giveth strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
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20) Because there is not a righteous man on earth that doth good and sinneth not.
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21) Also to all the words that they speak give not thy heart, that thou hear not thy servant reviling thee.
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22) For many times also hath thy heart known that thou thyself also hast reviled others.
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23) All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, 'I am wise,' and it [is] far from me.
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24) Far off [is] that which hath been, and deep, deep, who doth find it?
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25) I have turned round, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and of foolishness the madness.
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26) And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapeth from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
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27) See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
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28) (that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.
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29) See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they -- they have sought out many devices.
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